By Wayne Allyn Root
When did the media lose all objectivity? When did America become a Banana Republic that refuses to allow opponents of Barack Obama free speech? When did the media decide to cross the line from journalists presenting all viewpoints, to political hacks promoting only one side (and blackballing the other)? When did the media decide censorship was acceptable?
Let’s ASK WGN TV NEWS in Chicago.
WGN knows the answer. This week WGN TV Network made it crystal clear they are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barack Obama and the Chicago Democratic machine. I’m a witness to the crime of media bias and the purposeful violation of free speech.
My new book, “The Ultimate Obama Survival Guide” is out. It’s been ranked the #1 conservative/liberal bestseller at Amazon for almost 4 weeks. Because it’s more of a financial advice book than a political one, it’s also been ranked the #1 Finance book at Amazon for most of the past 4 weeks.
WGN TV News has chosen to interview me each and every time I have been in Chicago on book tours for my prior books- from “The Joy of Failure”…to “Millionaire Republican”…to most recently “The Conscience of a Libertarian.”
So you can imagine the shock when I was told that the head honchos at WGN had decided to refuse an interview when I come to Chicago this week. What was their excuse? This is a direct quote…make sure you’re sitting down to avoid any serious falls…WGN is refusing an interview about my new #1 national bestseller because my book “is too partisan.” I have that quote on email.
Too partisan? That’s an interesting phrase for a TV news network. This is AMERICA- All politics is “partisan.” Every word out of President Obama’s mouth is partisan. Every Democrat politician interviewed by WGN is partisan. Every Republican politician interviewed by WGN is partisan. Every word out of the mouth of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is partisan. My prior interviews for “Millionaire Republican” and “The Conscience of a Libertarian” were certainly partisan. All politics is partisan.
So why the sudden change of heart? Why is this book, by this author, that dares to criticize Barack Obama, declared “partisan” and blackballed by Chicago’s leading TV news network? Is WGN trying to keep my views from their listeners? I thought that only happened in Venezuela, Cuba, or China.
Ironically, the definition of “partisan” is WGN. Any TV news network that refuses to allow free speech for opposing viewpoints can only be described as biased and partisan. I never thought I would see the media sink to these levels. It is a sad day for free speech in America. This decision is a symbol of the decline of ethical journalism in the age of Obama.
Thom Hartmann is one of the most popular liberal talk show hosts in America. He loves Obama. He disagrees with every view I’ve got. Yet Thom Hartmann has had me as a guest twice in the four weeks since my book came out. That’s called free speech, fair and balanced. That’s how you promote open and honest dialogue and debate. Thom Hartmann is a class act.
But one thing Thom Hartmann is not is unbiased. We debated, argued and both made valid points. Isn’t this what America is about? WGN TV News on the other hand is supposedly an unbiased TV news network, not a liberal propaganda tool. It’s now clear they are only masquerading as an objective unbiased news outlet. They’ve got a biased opinion about Chicago’s own Barack Obama- and all other opinions will be blackballed.
Is this legal? I don’t know. I think we should ask the FCC if a news station that regularly interviews authors (including this one) has a right to only air viewpoints with which they agree. You can bet I’ll have my legal team asking the FCC that very question. But, the more important question is…does this decision pass the smell test? Is it moral or ethical? That answer is clear- NO! Does it stink to high heaven that a conservative author criticizing Obama can’t get an airing of his views from a Chicago TV News network that has always jumped to interview that same author in the past? That answer is quite clearly YES.
WGN’s job is to do exactly what Thom Hartmann and Fox News strive to do each and every day- present differing viewpoints. Yes, Fox News does it every day. Every time I turn on Fox News they have guests from both sides of issues, and both sides of the aisle. Whether it’s a debate on “Kelly’s Court” with Megyn Kelly, or the panel on “The Five,” or the panel on Special Report with Bret Baier, or Sean Hannity’s Great American Panel- there is always a representative from the left. Isn’t presenting only one viewpoint how repressive governments worldwide control their citizens?
This is CHICAGO THUG CENSORSHIP as its finest. Shame on WGN.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Capitalist Evangelist, serial entrepreneur, and Libertarian-conservative media commentator. He is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee. He serves as Executive Vice Chairman of the Conservative Caucus in Washington DC. Wayne’s latest book is the #1 National Bestseller: The Ultimate Obama Survival Guide: How to Survive, Thrive and Prosper During Obamageddon. <http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Obama-Survival-Guide/dp/1621570916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363622157&sr=8-1&keywords=wayne+root> Wayne’s twitter: http://twitter.com/WayneRoot/
